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Post by ocolin381 on Jan 25, 2023 4:23:58 GMT
Hey guys,
I've been here for a short time but learned so much. Appreciate everyone being awesome here. So my question is this. I have a new arming sword with kult of athena's sharpening service. The edge is good but could def be sharper in my opinion. tested on paper and pool noodle and can tell its pushing more than cutting alot. What would be a good place to start with sharpening this? maybe the accu sharp? I did recently buy a 400/1000 grit whetstone but getting the angle wrong makes me nervous about messing up the blade. Also what angle should I sharpen at? I read 30 degrees in the sharpening section here but I have a guide that only goes to 25. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks
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nddave
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Post by nddave on Jan 25, 2023 13:57:30 GMT
Hey guys, I've been here for a short time but learned so much. Appreciate everyone being awesome here. So my question is this. I have a new arming sword with kult of athena's sharpening service. The edge is good but could def be sharper in my opinion. tested on paper and pool noodle and can tell its pushing more than cutting alot. What would be a good place to start with sharpening this? maybe the accu sharp? I did recently buy a 400/1000 grit whetstone but getting the angle wrong makes me nervous about messing up the blade. Also what angle should I sharpen at? I read 30 degrees in the sharpening section here but I have a guide that only goes to 25. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks If all you're wanting to do is touch up the job done by KoA then I would email or call them and ask their sharpening guy what angle he sharpens swords at. Then I would set your guide to that and sharpen. It probably wouldn't hurt to go a bit steeper anyway if the edge is duller in areas creating drag. Accusharp is a hit or miss. Depending on the edge you could hone it with the Accusharp but if the bevel is thicker than the Accusharp you could risk removing more metal off the edge and making it brittle.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Jan 27, 2023 15:48:47 GMT
I feel that 30° will work and give a more durable edge but a more acute angle will cut better. I’ve used 25° for years on all my blades but lately have reduced that to 22½°, this includes my working blades such as machetes, with no ill effects and like it better. There are tricks to obtaining the desired edge angle with a stone that are occasionally given on YouTube and books. I find the easiest way for a novice is a Work Sharp KO, but here it is iffy with a sword as some will not fit into the guide and must be done free hand. And with some blades such as a katana I wouldn’t use at all. Use a Accusharp as a last result, if at all.
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Post by ocolin381 on Jan 29, 2023 0:05:20 GMT
hey! thanks for the replies guys! So heres the link to the sword im referring to and a stock photo cause I havent taken any personally yet. Also nddave ive seen your youtube channel and liked your reviews. hope you keep posting. But yeah so this is the sword. So far ive been super apprehensive on sharpening it myself. The edge koa put on is good but def not very sharp. barely cuts pool noodles and even when im pretty sure the edge is right on only gets partially through. Emailing KOA for the sharpening angle is def a good idea. Ive seen the work sharp and would love it down the road but right now im trying to figure out if I should try my whetsone or try alittle touch up with the accusharp. how do you guys personally sharpen your swords? im assuming things such as the work sharp are a go to tool for alot of people. www.kultofathena.com/product/balaur-arms-12th-century-teutonic-arming-sword-2/
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Jan 29, 2023 1:15:50 GMT
Cheepers, why don’t you ask me something simple. You name it and I probably use it or have used it. It depends on a number things principally the blade and the effect that I want. I use Arkansas stones, ceramic round rods, chakmak, Work Sharp, and sandpaper. If I had only one choice it would be sandpaper.
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Post by blackprince on Jan 29, 2023 23:11:51 GMT
Since the sword is already sharp, have you considered leather stropping with compounds?
Similar to sand paper, it is slow, but there is less risk of changing the blade edge geometry. Also, you only need to strop the last 1/3 of the blade (where you actually will cut with it).
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Post by john2000 on Feb 7, 2023 13:25:04 GMT
YOU DO NOT WANT TO "SHARPEN A KATANA" you want to polish it into the correct shape leaving it sharp, a secondary bevel is not a katana at all. it is just a sharp piece of steel. if you get a sword that is not sharp, send it back.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Feb 7, 2023 15:42:15 GMT
Do a search on YouTube to see what technique you would be comfortable with then practice on some inexpensive knives (your kitchen knives?) until you are comfortable with it then move on to your sword. To just touch up a KoA edge should be a snap.
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Post by guillermus on Feb 7, 2023 20:16:13 GMT
If you have a sharpening stone, I would go to a carpentry to buy some wooden wedges with different angles. One that is at 20 degrees, another at 22.5, another at 25 and another at 30. So you have all the possible angles, then all you have to do is fit the blade to the wedge and you sharpen carefully. Yo can fix the blade and, with the wedge yo pass the blade along the edge or fix the stone and yo can do the same with the blade
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Post by ocolin381 on Feb 16, 2023 4:59:51 GMT
yeah sorry for so many questions guys lol def feel like the noob here. thanks for all the replies i really do appreciate it. some really good ideas and i think ill try some sandpaper after some more research on it.
again thanks for the replies guys. really am a noob here and really just appreciate it
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Feb 16, 2023 13:13:58 GMT
Sandpaper is my all-around favourite although I would surely miss my Work Sharp KO. I can do things with sandpaper that I can’t with the WS. There is a technique that I recommend with the sandpaper that isn’t etched in stone and as you get into it no doubt you’ll find your preferred method in time, if you chose to use at all. If KoA has sharpened, or attempted to, your job should be easy. Most new people starting out will tend to use paper too fine making more work for themselves. Do not use your fingers as a backing. Get a smooth and spacious as possible work space. I use a compressible material between the backing and the paper such as a mouse pad. Not all are the same so choose. This will allow the paper to follow the contours of the blade. I’d start with 220 grit using a light lubricant on all your papers. I prefer WD-40. Keep a roll of paper towels nearby. If possible, I prefer moving the blade on the paper but in some cases it’s best to move the paper on the blade. Push the blade edgewise back and forth focusing on the edge until it’s sharp and has the contour that I want, such as convex. You’ll be able to get it copy paper sharp with the 220. Once you have achieved your desired edge it becomes polishing time. Move on to the next finer paper and this time change the angle of your strokes. For example, if you had been pushing the edge 90° to the paper now go 30° until you have removed all of the marks from the 220. Once done, continue to move on to the next finer paper changing the angle again. Changing the angle will tell you when you have satisfactory removed all traces of the previous paper. Continue doing so until you are satisfied with the polish. I usually stop at 400 or 600, but some people prefer a mirror finish. It should not take long if KoA started the process, but don’t rush the job especially being your first. Do this on your day off possibly with your favourite music in the background. Once you have become familiar with the above method you will no doubt modify to suit. The above is not etched into stone and I find that I alter it as necessary to better suit the blade I’m working on at the time. If possible, I disassembly the sword. Working with a bare blade is much easier. Here’s wishing you all the success you hope for and good luck. Sharpening is a skill that all blade owners need and will reward you many times.
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Post by ocolin381 on Mar 1, 2023 4:43:24 GMT
man thank you so much. That method with sandpaper with a soft pad sounds like a really easy way to go. Ill def give it a try at some point. thanks for such an awesome detailed response. its super appreciated
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Mar 1, 2023 12:23:35 GMT
Glad to have helped. If not too much trouble I’d like to hear how things went. Remember to practice with less expensive knives first.
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Post by carbon on Mar 1, 2023 18:20:53 GMT
Forgive me if I'm stating the obvious but do be careful and stay focused when you do hand sharpening. It is far too easy to cause blood loss when working that close to a sharp edge. Been there done that...recently... and I've been sharpening knives for decades.
Am interested in your results. Please let us know how it goes.
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Post by ragebot on Mar 2, 2023 4:36:43 GMT
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Mar 2, 2023 14:11:49 GMT
A leather strop is what I call fine tuning the edge, but for most of the cutting I do I find that not necessary. I remember in the old days all barbers had a leather strop hanging from their chairs which they used religiously. I don’t see them these days as they use a throwaway blade of various types. To pass barber school they needed to have the ability to shave a balloon with a straight razor which at the time struck me with awe. I now keep a straight razor in the cabinet that I use. I have ceramic rods that I use on my kukris. They follow the reverse curve of those blades nicely. However, I use a chakmak first on those blades and if that won’t bring the edge back to newspaper cutting sharpness I then make a few passes on the rods. I use gloves most of the times. And some of the other times I regret not using them. As for the leather strop I have two. One is a stripe of leather on a board backing that that I made and thought was an original idea until I joined the forum. The other is a strip of leather reminiscent of the old days. Not of the professional quality of old but gets the job done. I prefer it to the smaller board although at times the board is better suited for the job. I coat the leather with a polishing agent. Originally Metal Glo. Later when I was able to obtain Jeweler’s Rouge, now called Red Rouge, that I remembered from studying silver smithing. Somewhere along the way I picked up some white polishing compound that is supposedly a bit coarser that I have yet to try. Just remembered that I have a leather belt for my Work Sharp, probably where the white polish came from, but rarely use the belt.
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Post by ragebot on Mar 2, 2023 15:04:20 GMT
SNIP I have ceramic rods that I use on my kukris. They follow the reverse curve of those blades nicely. However, I use a chakmak first on those blades and if that won’t bring the edge back to newspaper cutting sharpness I then make a few passes on the rods. SNIP I have been using the white paper from my desktop printer for cutting tests but remember seeing one guy using newspaper. He made the comment that when there was high humidity making the newspaper a little damp it was very difficult to cut newspaper. Can you discuss any difference you notice when cutting regular white paper and newspaper. Truth be told I seldom see newspaper since news on the internet became common.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Mar 2, 2023 17:08:45 GMT
I find it takes a slightly keener edge to slice newspaper. I have some left from yesteryear. When I arrived almost a quarter of a century ago newspapers were much in use. There seemed to be a newspaper on every other corner in the big city and many mama-papa stores in my town. The La Nación, my favourite, sold for 200¢. I don’t know what that was in USD as the exchange rate changes, but ≈<$0.25, maybe less. Now there is only one stand in Central Park and that is about ¼ of its former size and no other stands or paper boys. The La Nación back then was 200¢ and very thick being held together with 2 or 3 staples. And my dog, now deceased, would take three days to go through a paper. Now they are 600¢ (>1.00 USD) and super thin. I would need probably 3/day, certainly 2/day for him. I’ve seen several papers disappear and I fear the rest not far behind. The newspapers that I’m using are old.
Not only does newspaper sog out in high humidity so does copy paper. Now is our dry season and we are at 78°F at 45% RH at 10:51 hours and all papers are fine. Possibly newspaper are affected first.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Mar 2, 2023 17:23:20 GMT
Here’s one I’ll throw out to ponder on. I started to do a thread on field sharpening but so far have procrastinated. The other week I was working and realized my machete was a little off. It was sharp enough to continue but not up to its standard. So I tried something that had been on my mind too long. I picked up a stone and went to work on the edge and in short order it was thumb nail sharp and I finished my work rather than waiting until I was in the house with my sharpening tools. Later when checking the edge I found it newspaper sharp. Photo below is with the rock used on the paper. This morning I used copy paper as more of our members are family with that. It still cut.
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Post by mumbles on Mar 4, 2023 3:56:11 GMT
Sandpaper is my all-around favourite although I would surely miss my Work Sharp KO. I can do things with sandpaper that I can’t with the WS. There is a technique that I recommend with the sandpaper that isn’t etched in stone and as you get into it no doubt you’ll find your preferred method in time, if you chose to use at all. If KoA has sharpened, or attempted to, your job should be easy. Most new people starting out will tend to use paper too fine making more work for themselves. Do not use your fingers as a backing. Get a smooth and spacious as possible work space. I use a compressible material between the backing and the paper such as a mouse pad. Not all are the same so choose. This will allow the paper to follow the contours of the blade. I’d start with 220 grit using a light lubricant on all your papers. I prefer WD-40. Keep a roll of paper towels nearby. If possible, I prefer moving the blade on the paper but in some cases it’s best to move the paper on the blade. Push the blade edgewise back and forth focusing on the edge until it’s sharp and has the contour that I want, such as convex. You’ll be able to get it copy paper sharp with the 220. Once you have achieved your desired edge it becomes polishing time. Move on to the next finer paper and this time change the angle of your strokes. For example, if you had been pushing the edge 90° to the paper now go 30° until you have removed all of the marks from the 220. Once done, continue to move on to the next finer paper changing the angle again. Changing the angle will tell you when you have satisfactory removed all traces of the previous paper. Continue doing so until you are satisfied with the polish. I usually stop at 400 or 600, but some people prefer a mirror finish. It should not take long if KoA started the process, but don’t rush the job especially being your first. Do this on your day off possibly with your favourite music in the background. Once you have become familiar with the above method you will no doubt modify to suit. The above is not etched into stone and I find that I alter it as necessary to better suit the blade I’m working on at the time. If possible, I disassembly the sword. Working with a bare blade is much easier. Here’s wishing you all the success you hope for and good luck. Sharpening is a skill that all blade owners need and will reward you many times. What kind of mouse pad do you use for backing? When you use paper do you clamp the sword down and run the paper over the sword or do you strap the paper down and run the sword over the paper?
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